


A Knight's Vows

by AnteBellis



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, F/M, Forced Marriage, Marriage, Promises, Strangers to Lovers, Suggestive Themes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:20:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23513020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnteBellis/pseuds/AnteBellis
Summary: Ingrid is married to Claude in order to Secure the Alliance’s aid against the empire. Neither is too keen on the idea, but they grow to find freedom from their situation in each other's arms and the promises they make to each other.
Relationships: Felix Hugo Fraldarius & Ingrid Brandl Galatea, Ingrid Brandl Galatea/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 4
Kudos: 26





	A Knight's Vows

“I’m sorry my friends, my hands are tied. The council won't allow me to formally declare for the kingdom without this symbol of unity. I swear I am no more keen on this than you are.”

Ingrid could hear Claude’s voice through the door of the war room as her future was once again decided without her. 

Being a knight was about king and country. Both had asked for something other than her blade and she was willing to answer that call, but she was still not proud of the vows she was called on to make.

\---

Claude stood at the altar, the sun flowing in like colored streamers as the fading light of evening passed through the elaborate stained glass of the Grand Cathedral of Deridiu. The front rows of pews were filled with the serene expressions of self important nobles who had forced this outcome upon Fodlan. Their unity in the face of the empire was so obvious and yet this fate had been pressed on Ingrid and Him. He fiddled with the kerchief in his breast pocket, its color and foreign fabric the only pieces of his proud Almyran heritage allowed in the aggressively Leicesterian decor of the Cathedral. He imagined Ingrid would find the site of their union similarly foreign. 

Appropriate, considering their marriage was not about either of them.

The massive door creaked open slowly and loudly. Its contrast to the silence of the cathedral before brought all attendants to their feet and all eyes to the entrance. Somewhere -- Claude hadn't cared enough to register where -- a massive organ filled the cathedral with a melody any Alliance citizen would recognize. This tune wasn't the one his own parents or Ingrid's had walked down the aisle to, the notes as hollow to them both as the cathedral they echoed through or the ceremony they rang in. 

As the door yawned open, Claude saw her standing there. His sharp eyes could tell that she was looking at the ground, waiting for the massive portal to finish its welcome. She was wearing a traditional alliance dress: conservatively cut and white with accents of Deridiu Cerulean, the colors suited her brilliantly. The only traces of her homeland was a bridal crown laced with Galatea's flowers and a capelet of heavy white furs, presumably from some fearsome creature of that icy wilderness. Claude imagined this beautiful woman killing such a beast herself, an image that fit her much better than beginning to walk towards him at the Altar. 

Felix held her arm in his as they walked down the aisle, an expression of rage barely subdued bristling across his face as his free hand grasped the hilt of a ceremonial sword tightly. As she had been promised to House Fraldarius before, it was now his duty to give his precious childhood friend away to a man he barely knew and trusted even less. Claude didn't blame Felix for wanting to slit his throat, in his place he would have wanted the same, but would it kill the guy to hide it a little better? 

As Ingrid closed on the altar, Claude got a better view of his fiancée’s face. Her eyes were slightly puffy and red. He hated putting that look on her face. He spoke quietly to himself. Half begging for her forgiveness and half regretful self-affirmation.

“If there were any other way, I would've found it.”

\---

Ingrid finally reached the base of the altar. She went to take her first step up the stairs towards a fate she had anticipated but couldn't have expected, but her movement was arrested by Felix’s arm tightening around her own. She turned to face him, her tear streaks like patches of rust on her steely resolve.

“It's not too late, Ingrid. If you want me to, I will cut him down where he stands and carry you from this place. You don't have to do this.”

Felix’s whisper came out on the edge of a snarl. Ingrid merely gave him a sad smile and kissed him on the cheek before whispering in reply.

“You've never looked more like your brother” 

Fresh tears welled in her eyes as he dropped his arm in shock. She climbed the stairs towards Claude and towards her ordained and uncertain fate. 

\---

“Lady Galatea, you are absolutely radiant today. May I?”

He motioned towards her face. She wasn’t quite sure of his intentions but nodded in affirmation, partially in curiosity and partially in surrender to the will of her soon-to-be husband. 

To her surprise he took the piece of fabric from his pocket and dabbed at her eyes and cheeks gently. He gave her a gentle smile as he refolded the pocket square. 

“I don't intend to give you any additional reasons to cry today, Ingrid. This situation is… regrettable, but all that is left is to make the most of it, hmm?”

She felt like she was being talked down to, like she was being treated like a child. But perhaps that was his right. He was as much a victim in this as she was from what she knew, what was left was for them to face their unwillingly joined futures together. She sniffed once to silence her tears. 

“You're right Duke Riegan. I apologize for my unseemly display.”

She bowed quickly towards him and when she raised her head, she saw a raised eyebrow looking back at her. 

“That's not what I meant Ingrid. I'm sorry you're hurting and I'm sorry I couldn't stop it. Some master tactician I am, huh?” 

He chuckled softly, his laugh was a strangely comforting sound to her. He continued as he put her hand in his gently and began leading her towards the priest.

“For better or worse we’re in this together now, Ingrid. How about this, for every vow the priest recites for us, I'll make a different promise to you. A promise to restraint or respect or something else to show you that even though we were forced into this, I’ll do my best to take care of you. How does that sound?”

Ingrid didn't have time to give him more than a confused nod before the priest began in a booming voice that filled the cathedral and seemed to silence the organ.

“Dearly Beloved! We are gathered here today in front of families, nations, and the goddess herself to join Ingrid Brandl Galatea and Claude von Riegan in holy matrimony!”

The silence in the wake of his declaration was deafening. An almost too real reality for all present, A new paradigm, not just for these two individuals, but also for their countries and the whole of Fodlan. 

The priest raised their joined hands towards the assembled congregation and cleared his throat slightly before continuing. 

“The goddess asks many things from couples married inside her churches. I will recite these tenets of marriage as according to the Books of Seiros.” 

He pulled an ornate tome from a shelf and placed it upon the lectern. The heavy thump of the book echoed in the church as Ingrid's heart thumped seemingly just as loudly. Claude squeezed her hand in his and when she looked at him he gave her an easy smile that put her at ease. 

The priest began speaking in his echoing voice, at the first tenet, Claude whispered into Ingrid's ear. 

“Don't worry about what he's saying. This ritual isn't for us anyway. Just focus on my voice.”

Ingrid simply nodded at her husband-to-be. 

“These paragraphs from a dusty book don't matter, our promises to each other do. We were forced into this, but it is still our decision what our lives look like from now on.”

Ingrid nodded again, looking confused. Claude gently squeezed her hand again before reciting his first promise to her. 

“For example, I promise to never touch you when you don't want me to. Not romantically, not intimately, and not violently.”

Ingrid looked at him, slightly shocked. She knew Claude to be a decent man, but had still not expected the thoroughness of his promised respect and restraint.

“That is truly kind Duke Riegan. In turn, I promise the same to you in addition to promising I will support your goals as a leader and throw myself into helping accomplish them as long they do not endanger my friends or family. Have I understood the exercise?”

Claude smiles back at her, his face lighting up at seeing how she took to his suggestion. 

“Please, just call me Claude.”

Ingrid thought on it for a moment 

“Ok, Claude then. I promise.”

She smiled. Vows came naturally to a knight such as her. 

“I promise that when people demand children, demand heirs from us, that we will stay childless if that is what you wish. We can spread the rumor that I shoot training arrows or something”

Ingrid giggled at his earnest jest. Claude thought he liked it much better when she smiled.

“Claude, I promise that I will make the most of this. Neither of us wanted this, but I will try my best to find happiness with you.”

Claude nodded his head and smiled at her. Perhaps he would try that too, that would be for the best. He squeezed her hand as the priest wrapped up his readings and looked to them for an answer. His part came first. 

“I swear to honor these vows made before man and the Goddess”

The priest turned to Ingrid now. He wasn't blind to the bride and the groom talking during his ceremony, but he knew as well as any that it was more his ceremony than theirs. He let them do what they liked as long as they didn’t interrupt the proceedings. 

“And you, Ingrid Brandl Galatea, do you swear to honor these vows made before man and the Goddess”

Ingrid could answer truthfully, because these vows were vows she could live by.

“I so swear”


End file.
